


cut to the feeling

by amaelamin



Series: touch requests [5]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Fluff and Crack, Idiots in Love, M/M, Minor Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Moon Taeil, Officially, know what i mean, renjun has HAD IT, this isn't canon but it's canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-19
Updated: 2020-04-19
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:34:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,647
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23732407
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amaelamin/pseuds/amaelamin
Summary: 'touch' request fill 5!->how about nomin and times they touch without being conscious about it?
Relationships: Lee Jeno/Na Jaemin
Series: touch requests [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1695640
Comments: 45
Kudos: 317





	cut to the feeling

“Is it legal for them to do that? Like, in public? Together?” Chenle mused, sipping on his first adult drink. First adult drink, seeing as the whole group was in this crowded-as-fuck club to ostensibly celebrate his coming of age and _not_ to try their best to get arrested for public indecency via what could be loosely called ‘dancing’. 

Renjun rolled his eyes, pointedly not looking at Jeno and Jaemin on the dance floor. He didn’t even need to look at them to know what Chenle meant. 

“And you said they’re like this at home, too?” Jisung chimed in, look of wonder on his face. “How do you stand it?”

“Alcohol and prayer,” Renjun muttered. 

The song changed, and with it came Jaemin leading Jeno back to their booth by the hand. Chenle, Jisung and Renjun watched in silence as they collapsed together in a heap of sweaty, glowing limbs, giggling, until they managed to untangle themselves and ended up with Jaemin perched contentedly on Jeno’s lap. 

“There’s an extra seat right there,” Renjun pointed out. 

“I’m so sad nobody wanted to come dance with me,” Jaemin pouted, ignoring Renjun completely. “I dressed up all pretty tonight, too.”

“Everyone is blind,” Jeno assured him. “You look amazing.”

“I know!” Jaemin complained. “I want a hot boy to hit on me in a club so we can go make out in some gross bathroom. I can’t graduate without having the essential college experience.”

“It’ll happen,” Jeno promised, tenderly pushing back Jaemin’s sweaty bangs from his forehead. “Someone will see you and fall madly in love with you and he’ll be the luckiest guy in the world.”

“Jen,” Jaemin melted, going soft and gooey round the edges. “You’re the best friend ever.”

“Are you seeing this?” Jisung whispered to Chenle, who looked at Renjun, who looked ready to pop a vein. “Have I gone crazy? Or do they really not realise?”

“I’m gonna go find Hyuck and dance,” Renjun gave up. “Somewhere that’s away. From here. See you later.”

“Okay,” Jeno smiled his pretty half-moon smile at him as Jaemin leant their foreheads together, lazily waving at Renjun. 

“I think we need to stage an intervention,” Jisung said, Renjun looking round to his right to see that he’d been followed.

“Why?” Chenle asked from his left. “This is hilarious.”

“They can’t be serious,” Jisung argued back. “Nobody is that oblivious.”

As a unit, the three of them looked back at their booth where Jaemin was still cradled on Jeno’s lap despite having even more space to themselves now, throwing his head back to laugh at something Jeno had said. Jeno poked him in the ribs, which led to Jaemin trying to playfully bite his nose, and the sound Renjun heard in the distance may well have been the sound of his own retching. 

*

“How was it!” 

Renjun looked up from his spot on the living room floor surrounded by his notes. Jaemin had bounded over to the door the moment he heard Jeno unlocking it, waiting in barely-concealed excitement to see how Jeno’s date went.

“He was nice,” Jeno nodded, toeing off his shoes. “I guess. I dunno, I’m not really feeling it.”

“Why!” Jaemin protested. “I thought he’d be perfect for you.”

Jeno shrugged. “Just… I dunno. I guess I want someone a bit cuter and more playful? He’s _so_ serious. And I brought up how much I like bike riding and he said he doesn’t even like to work out, like, instant conversation killer. Then there was this moment where he said he might take a photography module next semester and I was like, oh!! I love guys who are into that! But then surprise surprise, he said he just needs to fulfill a requirement.”

“Oh,” Jaemin frowned. “I guess I had him all wrong.”

“He doesn’t even like to cook,” Jeno continued sadly. “Maybe I should give him a shot, I mean. He’s not a _monster_. He’s just not-”

“Not Jaemin?” Renjun muttered under his breath. 

“Hmm?” Jeno asked, turning his way. 

“Nothing,” Renjun sang out. 

“Cheer you up? Let’s go riding. Right now.” Jaemin threw over his shoulder, already disappearing into his room to get changed out of his pajamas and grab his bike helmet. 

“You should bring your camera and take a few photos, Jaem,” Renjun suggested, eyes boring into Jeno. “Wouldn’t that be nice?”

“Good idea!” Jaemin shouted back from his room. 

“Too bad you already had dinner,” Renjun continued, feeling manic. “Jaem made this really good chicken stew for us just now.”

“Did he?” Jeno pouted. “Is there any left?”

“No,” Renjun answered, taking a perverse pleasure in the way Jeno’s hopeful face fell. “I ate it _all up_.”

“It’s okay, I can make more for you tomorrow,” Jaem sailed back into the living room in a pink hoodie that matched his hair perfectly.

“Oh, you’re wearing the one I got you!” Jeno beamed, holding out his arms to fold Jaemin into a hug. “You look so adorable.”

Renjun told himself to breathe. “You’re going out in your date clothes?” 

Jeno tilted away from Jaemin to look down at himself. “It’ll be like we’re on a date instead, Nana.”

Jaemin squealed at him, drumming his fists lightly on Jeno’s chest. “If _only_ all my dates looked as good as you. Come on, Jenjen.”

Jeno kept one arm looped around Jaemin’s waist as they put on their bike shoes, Jaemin leaning heavily against Jeno. Renjun closed his eyes. He refused to see it.

“Have fun!” Renjun yelled after them as he heard the door click open, eyes still shut. “Don’t forget to buy engagement rings on your way back!”

Confused Jeno-Jaemin noises floated through the doorway until Jeno poked his head back inside.

“What? You want us to buy rings? Why do you need rings?”

“Nevermind,” Renjun waved him away tiredly. “Just go.”

*

“If any of you says anything to embarrass me I will actually kill you,” Donghyuck intoned. “If I had it my way he would never meet any of you disasters but he wants to, because he’s kind and nice and perfect. Do not make me regret this.”

Renjun snorts. “Please. He’s dating you. How perfect can he be?”

“That is exactly the sort of thing that will make me have to murder you,” Donghyuck jabbed a finger in Renjun’s direction as Chenle snickered. “He is wonderfully flawless and extremely spectacular and I call on all our long years of friendship and everything I have ever done for you to ensure that you will behave yourselves in front of him!”

“I’ve never seen you so unhinged,” Jaemin observes, tapping out a song tune on Jeno’s thigh next to his. “You must really like him.”

“I do,” Donghyuck exhaled. “I really, really do. So please don’t fuck this up for me.”

“Who’s fucking up what for you?” 

They looked up to see Donghyuck’s boyfriend of two entire weeks standing easy behind Donghyuck’s chair, smiling a little bemusedly at them, and the way Donghyuck immediately dissolved into a sweet soupy goo at the sight of him had Renjun instantly dreading the next forty minutes or however long it took them all to eat brunch together. He already had to deal with being tuned in to the Sickeningly Sappy channel at home with Jaemin and Jeno and he did not relish having to watch Donghyuck shoot hearts out of his eyes at this poor idiot whom Donghyuck somehow had managed to dupe into dating him.

They ordered quickly and Renjun threw himself into his pancakes, ignoring both Jeno and Jaemin on his right and Donghyuck and Taeil in front of him. When Jaemin gently thumbed away stray icing sugar from the side of Jeno’s mouth Renjun ignored it. When Donghyuck tried to get Taeil to feed him a bite of Taeil’s scrambled eggs Renjun ignored it. When Jisung started giggling helplessly at the look of suffering on Renjun’s face Renjun ignored it.

“I didn’t know you guys were together,” Taeil said after the plates had been cleared, smiling at Jeno and Jaemin. “Hyuckie never said.”

Jeno blinked, his arm around Jaemin’s shoulders as Jaemin’s hand on his thigh stopped mid-squeeze. 

“What? Us? We’re not together,” Jaemin laughed.

Renjun, Chenle, Jisung and Donghyuck sighed in unison.

“You’re not-?” Taeil glanced in confusion at Donghyuck. “Oh, I’m sorry, I just thought-”

“Everybody always thinks we are, though,” Jaemin frowned a little, turning to Jeno. “I really wonder why that is?”

Jeno hummed in agreement, pulling Jaemin closer into his side. “We’re just friends.”

“Yeah,” Jaemin said, looking up at Jeno and smiling before laying his head happily on Jeno’s shoulder.

“O-kay,” Taeil stared. “Right. My bad.”

“It’s alright, hyung,” Jeno smiled. 

“So..” Taeil continued, eyeing Jaemin’s interlocking rings bracelet which had its twin in Jeno’s necklace. “The couple jewellery is just friendship jewellery?”

“Couple jewellery?” Jaemin sat up, inspecting his bracelet. “We just got them because they were cute.”

“And they match,” Jisung supplied. “Like your school bags.”

“And like, half your wardrobe,” Chenle added.

“And your phones,” Renjun said.

“And your biking helmets,” Donghyuck contributed.

Jeno gasped, the rest of the table hanging on to his next words. “I never realised how similar our tastes were, Jaem. That’s amazing.”

“BFFs for life!” Jaemin held out his hand for Jeno to slap, and nestled back into his side. “That’s so cool.”

“You’re cool,” Jeno told him, twirling a lock of Jaemin’s cotton candy hair around his finger fondly.

“The best of purely platonic friends,” Donghyuck turned to Taeil, grinning a little hysterically. “That’s them.”

“I see,” Taeil nodded slowly in complete confusion, catching Renjun’s eye.

 _Kill me now_ , Renjun mouthed hopelessly. 

*

“I can’t stay too late,” Donghyuck yawned, stretching out on Renjun’s sofa and kicking Jaemin next to him in the butt on purpose. “I’ve got a full day tomorrow.”

“It’s Saturday tomorrow,” Jisung twists around from where he’s lying in front of the TV with Chenle and Renjun. “And it’s not even ten yet.”

“It’s my and Taeil hyung’s six month anniversary and I’ve got a whole day of stuff planned,” Donghyuck said smugly. “And I have to sleep early so I look my best when I see him.”

“Good luck with that,” Renjun smiled at him, only to have his own sofa cushion thrown in his face. 

“Six months!” Jaemin coos, after kicking Donghyuck back in revenge. 

“Yeah, who’d have thought Taeil hyung would be able to stand you for that long?” Chenle automatically put out his fist and Renjun bumped it without having to look. Donghyuck glared daggers. 

“As much as I would like to stay here and be insulted under the guise of our weekly movie night,” Donghyuck sniped, “I’ve got to get going.”

“We think it’s great that you and Taeil hyung are doing so well,” Jeno interrupted, sweet as always. “We like him a lot. And we can see how much he likes you too.”

Jaemin nodded from where he was curled sleepily around Jeno like a cat. “Makes me really jealous, honestly.”

“Yeah,” Jeno agreed, mock-crying into Jaemin’s hair. “I want to celebrate cheesy month-saries too.”

“I want a boyfriend,” Jaemin wailed, hugging Jeno’s leg to his chest. “I’m so tired of being single. I want someone to take me out on dates and send me sweet messages and kiss me goodnight and-” Jeno nodded sympathetically, running his hands soothingly through Jaemin’s hair. 

“Just fuck already!” Renjun snapped, yelling. “I hate you two! I hate you so much!”

Jeno’s jaw dropped. “Injun?”

“Don’t fucking ‘Injun’ me! I’ve had it! I watch you two being lovey-dovey with each other all day long and then turn right around and complain you want to date and have boyfriends and I! Have! Had! It!”

Jaemin laughed nervously, the direct opposite of the ecstatic looks on Chenle and Donghyuck’s faces. “Junnie, are you okay? I’m-”

“You wear matching outfits! You talk to each other’s mothers! You go on dates with other people but they never go anywhere because why? Surprise, assholes! Nobody will ever live up to each other! You’re touching and cuddling like a couple _all the time_ but act so clueless when people assume you’re together. You know each other’s class schedules by heart but you fucking live with me too and you can never remember what classes I have. You’re always cooing and sweet-talking and saying all sorts of gross adoring shit about each other. You text each other whenever you’re apart even though we all live in the same fucking apartment! I’ve never _seen_ you both so disgustingly happy as when you’re with each other. And don’t even get me started on the way you two behave when we go clubbing. That’s not dancing! It’s soft porn!”

Renjun stopped, chest heaving. Jisung had his hands clapped to his cheeks like he was the star of Home Alone as Chenle and Donghyuck waited with bated breath. 

Jeno opened his mouth and then closed it, turning to Jaemin who also looked so shocked he’d forgotten how to speak. 

“We-” Jeno started. “Me and Jaemin?”

“Yes,” the other four said. 

“You mean we- us?”

“ _Yes_.”

Jaemin turned to Jeno, eyes wide. “I- I don’t-”

“You do,” Renjun assured him firmly. “You really, fucking do. And so does he.”

“You’re made for each other, hyungs,” Jisung piped up, voice small but hopeful. “You just need to realise what we all already know.”

Neither Jeno nor Jaemin responded, looking at each other like they’d never seen each other before.

“I’m just.. gonna go,” Donghyuck said quietly, inching towards the door and snagging Chenle by the shirt. “Why don’t we all leave together?”

Jisung scrambled to his feet after them, leaving Renjun to hurriedly see them out the door and sneak back into his own bedroom. The last thing he saw before closing the door was Jeno tentatively reaching out a hand to touch Jaemin’s cheek.

* 

“‘Sup, babe,” Jaemin dropped into the seat next to Renjun during the busy common lunch hour of both the architecture and business faculties, Jeno scooting into the one opposite. “How’s the day going so far?”

Renjun eyed them both cautiously, having hurriedly left the apartment early in the morning before they’d woken up because he’d psyched himself out over the effects of his rant from the night before. “Good. What about you?”

“Great,” Jeno beamed, taking a big bite of his rice. “Lecture was really interesting this morning.”

“Oh?” Renjun raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah. I really like this professor,” Jeno munched. “Plus, I’ve got a date tonight.”

Renjun stared. “A date.”

“Yeah! I’m really excited. We’re going bike riding.”

Renjun looked between them from a happily grinning Jeno to a placid Jaemin before completely giving up and deflating. 

“You finally found someone who likes bike riding, huh,” Renjun mumbled into his kimbap. 

“Uh-huh. Plus we seem to have the same tastes in a lot of things. I think it’s going to turn out really well.”

“I hope you have a good time,” Renjun sighed. “Well, Nana, want to do something together later then? We both finish early today.”

“Me? Oh, sorry, I can’t,” Jaemin sucked on his bubble tea. “I’ve got a date, too.”

“Oh,” Renjun blinked. “Damn, everyone’s got a date except me. Who is it?”

“He’s really goodlooking,” Jaemin grinned. “And loves cats, which is so cute.”

“Well, _my_ date is really cute, too,” Jeno interjected. “And I think he’s pretty goodlooking as well. He’s just my type.”

“Good for you,” Renjun deadpanned. “So, Jen, you’re going bike riding. What are you doing, Jaem?”

“Me? Biking too.”

Renjun frowned, looking up in puzzlement. “How can the both of you be going-”

Jeno and Jaemin were holding hands across the table, Jeno serenely shovelling rice into his mouth as Jaemin sucked the pearls innocently out of his bubble tea.

Renjun stopped and took a deep breath. 

“You absolute _fuckers_ -”

*

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for this request <3 
> 
> [twt](https://twitter.com/haetsalmoonbit) / [cc](https://t.co/wABa3kxW2p?amp=1)


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